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by **RSantosJr** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:23 am

I'm aware of his work on the Evening Post covers. Didn't he also pretty much "design" Santa Claus and Uncle Sam, too?

by **em...** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:10 am

Although Leyendecker did do illustrations of both, the most familiar and iconic images of Uncle Sam and Santa were by James Montgomery Flagg and Haddon Sundblom respectively.

(although, they didn't create them either)

by **LeftyMcKay** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:13 pm

You can still see online what was exhibited at the Haggin Museum in Stockton late last year (and in addition to the exhibit going on tour soon, I'm told a museum catalog of the show is in the work).
Loius Gonzalez covered the exhibit on his blog and posted a lot of photos:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

by **Wm Wray** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:00 pm

Dudes those sketches are fakes! And bad one's at that. Sober up! And JCL did the Santa's before HS. Granted he refined and became more famous for them, but JCL truly created the Santa we know and love.

by **Wm Wray** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:12 pm

by **Wm Wray** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:12 pm

by **HellboyOne** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:40 pm

Are there any Leyendecker books other than this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... F8&s=books

and this one:

http://www.amazon.com/J-C-Leyendecker-M ... F8&s=books

?

I have the first one but I got it about 6 or 7 years ago for about 20 bucks. (Apparently, it's gone up in value.)

by **gubixcube** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:23 am

I don't want to split hairs.

But didn't Thomas Nast create the modern image of Santa Claus?
Red suit and beard- pretty much the standard- everything after that was just refinement

by **em...** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:57 am

I don't think it's as easy as saying this artist or that artist created the modern Santa as such - it was a long progress, with a lot of different hands (some more famous than others) leaving their mark.

Nast probably started the ball rolling with his, although his Santa had a kind of body stocking:

Reginald Birch did one in 1906 that was closer to the modern look

E Boyd Smith got even closer in 1908

Other illustrators such as Leyendecker's 1923 take:

and NC Wyeth's from 1925 refined it:

But Sundblom's 1931 Coke Santa is the iconic version. Oddly, he never seems to have any teeth in Sundblom's illustrations - probably from drinking too much Coke.

by **gubixcube** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:48 pm

true enough.

Thanks for the images Em.
I saw the Wyeth Santa Claus in person.
his paintings are really amazing- and large too.

by **LeftyMcKay** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:10 am

For those who didn't make it to Stockton late last year, The Fullerton Museum is now hosting the J. C. Leyendecker: America's "Other" Illustrator exhibition from now until November 18.

by **Wm Wray** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:47 pm

great show. Mind numbing good.

by **OFFBEAT** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:45 pm

Yeah.. Agreed!! Fantastic Show!! Well worth the trip!!! If you're in So.Cal and don't go.. you're really missing out!

by **ajmitchell** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:30 am

The Leyendecker show in Fullerton should still be up and the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana has a few Rockwell paintings on exhibit right now. But with the Basil Wolverton show also going on in Santa Ana and the Rick Griffin show just closed in Laguna Beach it makes me think the OC isn't so bad after all.

by **em...** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 6:44 am

I'm bumping this thread to tell everyone to buy this book that was recently published:

Because it's bloody fantastic!

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